Introduction:
Stent-assisted coiling (SAC) plays an important role in endovascular treatment of
intracranial aneurysms (IAs). This comparative analysis examines the safety and efficacy of SAC in general and compares clinical and angiographic outcomes between
laser-cut
stents and braided
stents. Methods: Relevant English-language studies were identified via a PubMed search for published articles regarding outcomes of SAC using
laser-cut
stents and braided
stents published from 2015 to 2020. Data from 56 studies that met our inclusion criteria were pooled and statistically compared. Results: A total of 4,373 patients harboring with 4,540 IAs were included. Patients were divided into two groups on the basis of
stent type:
laser-cut
stents (2,076
aneurysms in 1991 patients; mean follow-up, 12.99 months) and braided
stents (2,464
aneurysms in 2382 patients; mean follow-up, 18.41 months). Overall, the rates of successful
stent deployment, thromboembolic events,
stent stenosis, periprocedural
intracranial hemorrhage, permanent morbidity, mortality, and recanalization were 97.72, 4.72, 2.87, 1.51, 2.14, 1.16, and 6.06%, respectively.
Laser-cut
stents were associated with a significantly higher rate of successful deployment (p = 0.003) and significantly lower rate of periprocedural
intracranial hemorrhage (p = 0.048). Braided
stents were associated with a significantly lower rate of permanent morbidity (p = 0.015). Conclusion: SAC of IAs using
laser-cut
stents or braided
stents was effective and safe. Rates of thromboembolic events,
stent stenosis, mortality, and recanalization were comparable between the
stent types. Braided
stents were associated with lower permanent morbidity while
laser-cut
stents were associated with more favorable rates of successful deployment and periprocedural
intracranial hemorrhage.